Are We Over-Customizing ServiceNow? When Should We Stick to OOTB?

[Rakesh18081]

Many organizations heavily customize ServiceNow, often leading to technical debt, upgrade challenges, and performance issues. But with ServiceNow continuously expanding its out-of-the-box (OOTB) capabilities, should we rethink our approach?

🔹 When is customization truly necessary?
🔹 What are the biggest challenges in reverting back to OOTB solutions?
🔹 Have you successfully replaced custom scripts with OOTB features? Share your experience!

[Roshnee Dash]

You're absolutely right—excessive customization in ServiceNow can lead to technical debt, upgrade difficulties, and performance bottlenecks. With ServiceNow continuously enhancing its out-of-the-box (OOTB) capabilities, organizations should carefully evaluate when customization is truly necessary. Here are some best practices to guide this decision:

When is customization truly necessary?

Customization should only be pursued when:

• Business-critical requirements cannot be met with OOTB functionality.

• Regulatory or compliance needs demand specific modifications.

• User experience improvements significantly enhance productivity.

• Integration with third-party systems requires tailored solutions.

Biggest challenges in reverting back to OOTB solutions

• Dependency on legacy custom scripts that may not align with new OOTB features.

• Data migration complexities when transitioning back to standard configurations.

• User adoption hurdles, as teams may resist changes to workflows.

• Upgrade conflicts, where customizations interfere with new ServiceNow releases.

Best practices for balancing customization and OOTB solutions

1. Assess OOTB capabilities first – Before customizing, explore whether ServiceNow’s latest features meet your needs.

2. Use configuration over customization – Leverage UI policies, business rules, and Flow Designer instead of scripting where possible.

3. Follow upgrade-friendly customization – Avoid modifying core tables and use extension tables instead.

4. Document all customizations – Maintain clear records to ease future upgrades and troubleshooting.

5. Regularly review custom scripts – Identify opportunities to replace them with OOTB features.

6. Leverage ServiceNow’s best practices – Follow guidelines from ServiceNow’s customization FAQ and community insights.

7. Plan for reversibility – Ensure customizations can be easily rolled back if needed.

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @Rakesh18081 

I am a ServiceNow trainer and a BPC, and we often have discussions with clients about what constitutes good or best practices, as well as what to avoid. This is especially important to prevent issues during upgrades

🔹 When is customization truly necessary?

Atul: In my opinion, customization is necessary only when there is no alternative available or when there is a strong business need, such as compliance or regulatory requirements. In such cases, customization is justified. Otherwise, it’s better to avoid customization and explore alternatives that can be achieved through configuration.
🔹 What are the biggest challenges in reverting back to OOTB solutions?

Atul: The biggest challenge is figuring out where to start. Often, by the time the organization realizes that the instance is heavily customized, it becomes difficult to identify a starting point. Another major challenge is adapting to and adopting the out-of-the-box (OOTB) processes, as the impact can range from minimal to very significant. In some cases, reverting customizations is not fully possible, which can also have a huge impact on reporting, dashboards, and KPIs.

[LinaV]

Do you know where to find how OOB processes look in ServiceNow? 

I want to compare and see what customizations where done in the past.

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

This is something I use every day, and it’s the best place with up-to-date, standard content. You can visit

http://learning.servicenow.com/nowcreate

go to assets and search for any process workshop and you all done.

https://youtu.be/QyvYXRFdXEg